With director Sasikumar in the thick of things, the movie is gripping from the word go.A friend in need is a friend indeed. This is the premise which Samuthirakani builds his movie on. The narration is simple and straightforward.
Tamil cinema has dealt with friendship in a myriad ways. Nadodigal takes a realistic, closer look at it. The movie revolves around three friends Karunakaran (Sasikumar), Pandi (Bharani) and Chandran (Vijay) who have their individual ambitions to fulfil. Karunakaran is in love with his uncle’s daughter Nallama (Ananya). He is madly on the look out for a government job as his uncle has agreed for their wedding on the condition that he gets one.
Everything seems hunky-dory until Saravanan (Ranga), a childhood friend of Karunakaran, enters the picture. Son of a former MP, Ranga is in love with Prabha (Shanthini Devi), the daughter of a bigwig in Namakkal. Shocked by Saravanan’s suicide attempt after his love failure, his three friends promise to help him out and unite him with his lover. They go to Namakkal where with the help of their old friend 'Ganja' Karuppu, they manage to help the couple get married and settle down in a safer place. In the process however, Chandran loses his leg, Pandi becomes hearing impaired and Karunankaran suffers a personal loss.
But they realise that their sacrifices have served no purpose as the couple has a difference of opinion and splits within a week. The losses the three friends have suffered for their sake were in vain. What they do then to make the couple realise their folly forms the climax.
It’s Sasikumar all the way. He plays the role to his strength as he lives up to the challenges of a subtle portrayal. Equally impressive are Bharani and Vijay. Ananya as the talkative rural belle is a treat to watch. Newcomer Abhinaya chips in with her best. Sundar C Babu’s theme music is brisk but the background score could have been less louder.
Samuthirakani-Sasikumar duo deserves a pat for their clarion declaration that all is not yet lost for Tamil cinema.
